The committee hoping to bring the Olympic Games to Los Angeles in 2024 has released new renderings of Valley Sports Park – the district that would host several events at the tournament if the city’s bid is successful. In keeping with LA’s sustainability-first and low-risk pitch for the Games, the Valley Sports Park is comprised of temporary facilities combined with existing venues, both set against a backdrop of the Santa

Here are some of the stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from a spectacular cantilevered skybridge in Dubai to stadium seats made from palm trees. Monday • Kengo Kuma’s US$33.5m US$33.5m (€31.3m, £26.2m) expansion of Portland’s Japanese Garden, celebrated as one of the most authentic of its kind gardens outside Japan, has opened to the public. Read here. • Japanese architecture practice Nikken Sekkei are designing “a timeless new

The architecture industry must address its diversity, gender, and equity issues by embracing fresh voices from all walks of life, former US first lady Michelle Obama has said. Speaking in conversation with the president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Thomas Vonier at the organisation’s annual conference, Obama urged those working in the profession to communicate what their work is about "So many kids don't even know what an

The Sydney authority responsible for developing vast swathes of new public realm for the city has released its proposal for a one-hectare public park, an expanded waterfront walkway, a public pier and a new Harbour cove. The Barangaroo Delivery Authority, on behalf of the New South Wales government, is planning the attractions to complete Barangaroo South – Sydney's largest urban renewal project since the 2000 Olympics. Development firm Lendlease will

Architecture studio Allied Works have drafted plans for an ambitious US$50m (£38.6m, €45.7m) upgrade for the stadium belonging to Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise the Portland Timbers. The privately financed project would see the capacity of Providence Park expanded by 4,000 and would add a 93-foot high covered structure to the east side of the stadium. Four new levels will be added to the expanded east side – three of

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has formally withdrawn his support for a Thomas Heatherwick-designed Garden Bridge across the River Thames; bringing a likely end to a project that has fiercely split opinion. In a letter to Lord Mervyn Davies, chair of the Garden Bridge Trust, which has been overseeing the controversial crossing, Khan said the lack of all the necessary land use agreements and a significant funding shortfall mean

Dubai-based Emaar Hospitality Group, the hospitality and leisure arm of Emaar Properties, has announced plans to open six new hotels in the Middle East. The new properties in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Egypt will be operated under the Group's luxury brands – the premium luxury Address Hotels + Resorts and the upscale lifestyle Vida Hotels and Resorts. Among the new hotels will be the Address Marassi Beach Resort and Address

A 2,850sq m ESPA spa will be part of the One&Only Sanya, set to open later this year. The first One&Only in China, One&Only Sanya will open in Q4 2017. The 190-bedroom resort is designed by architect Jean-Michel Gathy and will be situated among 40 acres of palm trees with views of the South China Sea. The ESPA spa will be set in a secluded garden area, and include an

The government of Canada and Quebec municipality have each pledged to invest US$4.4m (€4m, £3.4m) for the construction of a large-scale aqua-gym complex in the town of Dolbeau-Mistassini, the government of which will fund the same amount. The facility will feature nn indoor waterpark, including a shallow pool, slides and water games; a six-corridor pool; two diving areas; a sauna; two mezzanines; and a gymnasium. "Cultural and recreational infrastructure helps

South Korean architecture studio Heerim Architects and Planners are reportedly in line to design Qatar’s 40,000-capacity Fifth Precinct Stadium, which will host matches up to the quarter-final stage at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. According to Reuters, the practice said in a stock exchange statement on Tuesday (25 April) that it has agreed a US$16.2m (€14.8m, £12.6m) design and engineering services contract for the project. A joint venture of Qatar’s

Art and lighting collective teamLab have designed a multi-sensory interactive experience for diners at one of Tokyo's most exclusive new beef restaurants. Sagaya, located in Ginza district, welcomes just eight customers per day to try its 12-course meals and “indulge themselves in a multi-sensory experience of taste, smell, and the scenic beauty of Japan.” The immersive space combines with ceramic art and real-time projections onto the tables and walls of

A new concert hall will open within the ‘Cultural Palace’ of Dresden, Germany on Friday (28 April). Architecture studio von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp) won an international competition to refurbish and renovate the Kulturpalast, a listed historic monument, in 2009. The 1,800-capacity, multipurpose concert venue suts at the heart of the building, and has been re-developed in a way that is neither secondary to the existing style elements nor

Luxury resort operator One&Only is looking to evolve its business with the launch of three new divisions. Famed for its ultra-luxury beach and spa resorts, the South Africa-based group is entering a trio of new markets with One&Only Nature Resorts, One&Only Urban Resorts and One&Only Private Homes. “The new experiences will complement the existing award-winning resort collection,” said Philippe Zuber, president and chief operating officer, One&Only Resorts. “Building on the

The World Architecture Festival (WAF) has announced ‘Performance’ as the theme for its tenth anniversary edition, which is taking place in Berlin this November. Leisure architecture will be put under the spotlight at the event, with the concept of performance in design central to the event’s seminar programme. "This year we will examine the multiple aspects of ‘performance’ that architecture has to embrace: aesthetic, technical, economic, and psychological,” said programme

Wynn Resorts has confirmed plans to build a US$500m (€458.7m, £390m) lagoon theme park at the company’s resort complex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 20-acre Paradise Park attraction, which in the day will hosts watersports and in the evening fireworks displays, will be made up of a lagoon with a white sand waterfront, featuring a host of attractions along a 4,000ft (1,220m) boardwalk. Speaking during an earnings call, Wynn Resorts

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the foundation of iconic British sculptor Henry Moore has opened a new visitor centre and archive dedicated to his work. The Henry Moore Foundation was founded in 1977 to encourage public appreciation of the artist’s work and to support emerging talent. In the last four decades it has awarded over 2,000 grant awards totaling £31m (US$39.7m, €36.4m). To mark its birthday, the organisation has upgraded

Kodak has announced plans to create a brand home in Rochester, New York, with leading design firm Jack Rouse Associates (JRA) selected to plan, design and implement the 9,000sq ft (836sq m) Experience Centre. Part of a 10-year masterplan to breathe life into the Eastman Business Park, the centre will explore Kodak’s innovations in photography, film, printing, digital imaging, and chemistry. Telling the story of the Kodak brand, the centre

The architectural firm of Norman Foster have confirmed they plan to lay off almost 100 people as a result of “uncertainty in the construction market.” According to a company statement “a cross-section of the team” will be be affected, with staff working at the firm’s British headquarters in Battersea, south-west London, bearing the brunt of the restructure. Foster + Partners employ more than 1,250 people in London, and also have

A team of engineers in Saudi Arabia has proposed how stadium seats in the near future could be made more sustainably using the fibres of palm trees. A five-member group from Al Faisal University submitted the plan as part of a regional innovation competition established by the Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, which is overseeing the 2022 FIFA World Cup in the country. The team’s method involves using

Work is nearing completion on Jamie Fobert Architects’ cliffside extension of Cornwall’s Tate St Ives, with an official opening date now set for 14 October this year. A four-year construction project, the plans go back 12 years to 2005 when the London-based Jamie Fobert was first appointed to double the size of the museum. In addition to lengthy delays because of planning issues, Jamie Fobert lost the project in 2011

A gothic Victorian country mansion near Manchester has been restored and renovated as the second property for boutique hotel company Oddfellows. Over an 18-month period, Tim Groom Architects and interior designers SpaceInvader transformed Buntwood Hall – previously used at different times as an equestrian stud farm, a town hall, an office for a film company and a fashion designer’s studio – into Oddfellows On The Park; a Victorian-style hotel with

A new multi-purpose 5,000-capacity stadium is being built as part of a major redevelopment project for Melbourne Park – the home of the Australian Open tennis tournament. The show court and arena will be surrounded new, smaller developments, such as a cultural terrace, a function centre, a media centre and broadcast studios, and a central kitchen. The cluster of facilities makes up the third stage of the larger overall project,

London’s upcoming Postal Museum has confirmed that it will open its doors to the public later this year, with the £26m (US$33.2m, €30.5m) attraction set to launch in July. Created to chronicle five centuries of social and communication history across Britain, the Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios-designed Postal Museum has been financed through the Heritage Lottery Fund, Royal Mail and Post Office, in addition to support from a number of individual

Japanese architecture practice Nikken Sekkei are designing “a timeless new icon” for the city of Dubai: two soaring towers connected by the world’s largest cantilever. The huge mixed-use scheme, called One Za’abeel, will feature at its heart a dramatic protruding steel skybridge called The Linx. Suspended 100m above the ground, the panoramic space will house restaurants and bars, an observation deck, a gym, a spa, a pool, a banquet hall

Kengo Kuma’s US$33.5m US$33.5m (€31.3m, £26.2m) expansion of Portland’s Japanese Garden, celebrated as one of the most authentic of its kind gardens outside Japan, has opened to the public. The project, Kuma’s first public commission in the US, has seen the creation of a new Cultural Village that provides additional space to accommodate the attraction’s rapid visitor growth and immerses visitors in traditional Japanese arts and culture. To honor the

Here are some of the stories that appeared on CLAD this week, from Thomas Heatherwick’s New York staircase to nowhere to Studio Gang’s Summer Block Party paper tube installation. Tuesday • The public will soon get an inside look inside one of Antoni Gaudí lesser-known architectural landmarks in Barcelona. Read here. • South Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai has opened “car culture experience park” in Goyang in the north of the

A landmark 1925 California hotel with a storied history will be reborn this summer, with new interiors created by celebrity designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard – who has dreamed up glamorous homes for the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Eva Mendes and Cher. When it first opened in 1925, the Hotel Californian was one of the first of a new wave of Spanish Colonial Revival style structures, but was open for little